Tuesday, 10 January 2012

MySpace Goes Social With TV Experience

By Samantha Murphy at Mashable:Justin Timberlake just took the next step in his campaign to bring MySpace back. The pop super star and MySpace co-owner joined Panasonic on stage at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show to announce a new service that will make TV a whole lot more social. Available on the next generation of Panasonic VIERA ConnectT-enabled HDTVs, an app called MySpace TV will allow viewers to see what their MySpace friends are watching, and enable them to make comments through the TV set and via smartphone and tablet devices. The app will be available on Panasonic’s new HDTV line, as well as some devices created in 2010, via a software update. Early channels on MySpace TV will focus on music, and then expand to movies, news, sports and reality channels.“We see MySpace as a companion to what the social community is watching,” Marcus Liassides, executive VP of MySpace, told Mashable. “We plan to integrate the service with other social networks such as Facebook in the future too. But we aren’t trying to reinvent TV. We’re just evolving it and make it a shared experience even when you’re not in the same living room.” Liassides said the experience will likely be optimized by viewers using tablets and smartphones. A companion apps will be available on tablets and smartphones. “Why text or email your friends to talk about your favorite programs after they’ve aired when you could be sharing the experience with real-time interactivity from anywhere across the globe?” Timberlake said in a press release. “As the plot of your favorite drama unfolds, the joke of your favorite SNL character plays, or even the last second shot of your favorite team swishes the net, we’re giving you the opportunity to connect your friends to your moments as they’re actually occurring.” Although the company hasn’t revealed when MySpace TV will become available, it’s expected to roll out in the first half of 2012. Liassides noted that it’s also working with other TV manufacturers to offer the app on other devices. Will you use MySpace TV? Could this be the resurgence of MySpace? Can Timberlake bring it back? Let us know in the comments.